Chocolate popcorn is not what we usually think of when we think of popcorn but you might want to rethink your idea of popcorn because chocolate popcorn can be oh so good.

This is always a favorite when I make it for my family and is sure to please yours. The key to making good chocolate popcorn is in the steps. You should take extra care in melting the chocolate so that you do not burn it. It is essential that you do not try it in the microwave unless you know how to set your microwave oven to a very low power. I recommend melting the chocolate topping in a small, non-stick saucepan over very low heat on the cook top of your stove. Make sure that you add the butter when you are melting the chocolate as this gives it a bit of liquid to dissolve into. Melting the chocolate by itself can be done but it is painstakingly difficult.... and burnt chocolate does not taste good.

The same goes for the popcorn itself. Too many people turn to the convenience of the microwave and end up burning their popcorn and stinking up their home. And burnt microwaved popcorn does tend to linger; if you have ever burnt popcorn in the microwave then you know what I am talking about.

The third important key to making good chocolate popcorn is to use real chocolate chips. Please use the name brand chocolate chips as the cheaper versions are not made of real chocolate ingredients and tend to give off a strange aftertaste. Real chocolate is, by nature, bitter until it is sweetened. If you are seasoned baker already then you know that you could substitute baker's chocolate but you will need to manually sweeten it during the process. This can easily be done with a bit of corn syrup or the sweetener of your choice. I prefer to use the pre-sweetened chocolate chips because they taste good and they are cheaper than the pure chocolate and also saves you a step.

Here is what you will need for our first and most basic chocolate popcorn recipe:

1 Cup Popcorn (again, I prefer the real popcorn but you can use microwavable popcorn if that is all you have).

1 bag of sweetened chocolate chips

butter

1/4 cup sugar

We will prepare the chocolate topping first because if you do the popcorn first then it will be soggy from the steam by the time the topping is ready. And, if it is not soggy, then that means that you did not keep it covered, which means that it will be cold.

Melt the chocolate chips and butter in a small saucepan on low heat, stirring constantly. After the chocolate mixture is almost completely melted, pour in the sugar very slowly. Be careful not to burn the chocolate. Do not use a pan that is too large or else you will have burning. It is important that as little of the chocolate touches the bottom of the pan as possible, hence the smaller pan.

Pop the popcorn as you normally would, either in the microwave or on the stove top. Make sure to keep that chocolate mixture stirred as you go.

Immediately after the popcorn is done, transfer it into a serving bowl. Drizzle the chocolate topping over the popcorn slowly. You do not have to use then entire batch of chocolate if it seems too coated already.

Let cool for about two minutes. The warmth of the chocolate topping is enough to keep the popcorn nice and piping hot. Sit back, put on a good movie, and enjoy your first batch of chocolate popcorn!